Host Eddie Jackson asks five of America's best cookie makers to create two cookies on sticks: one representing the best part of Christmas for kids and another showing the best part for grown-ups. Deciding which three cookie makers move on to the next round is a job for judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira. For the display challenge, it's the night before Christmas, but the stockings have not been hung by the chimney with care. So the competitors must craft life-size Christmas stockings entirely out of cookies and incorporate winter fruits like pomegranates, pears or clementines. Only the best of the best gets to stuff their stocking with the $10,000 grand prize.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are enjoying a yuletide seaside vacation, where the mermaids make merry, and the sharks stuff their stockings with care. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson invite four seaworthy cookie makers to reveal how sea creatures celebrate the season. The cookie maker who flounders will wash out of the workshop, while one cookie maker will reel in an advantage for the next challenge. Then, it's more festive fun in the sun as the cookie makers build 3D Christmas sandcastles, complete with crushed cookie sand. To give their cookies a taste of the tropics, they'll have to use papaya, mangoes, coconuts or guava. The cookie maker who crafts the jolliest Christmas sandcastle will swell with pride as they win $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
The competition is down to the final four, and it's time to see if the finalists can handle the rigors of live television. Each finalist must make a "share-worthy" dish live on Food Network's Facebook page, and their demo is put to the test when special guest Anne Burrell is revealed as the on-camera talent. The finalists have to act as producers, guiding Anne through the demo using a wireless earpiece. The pressure continues to escalate when each finalist hosts their own live "in the kitchen" show with a special guest who's familiar with the format ... Food Network's Ree Drummond! Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay decide which finalists best handle these pressure-packed challenges and earn a spot in the final three.
Five fantastic cookie makers enter the workshop, but instead of a winter wonderland, they find host Eddie Jackson lounging in a beach chair under a palm tree. The bakers are challenged to create cookies perfect for a Christmas in the tropics, and judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira decide who's got it made in the shade and whose holiday is ending early. Then, it's all aboard for the display challenge as the cookie makers must make an entire train -- from the caboose to the cargo car -- out of cookies! Plus they have to load their locomotives with cookies that use fun flavors like peanut butter, hazelnut spread or marshmallows. It's full steam ahead as these cookie engineers race for the $10,000 prize.
After a night of delivering presents, Santa arrives back at the North Pole with a big appetite. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four talented cookie makers to whip up "imposter" cookies that look just like dishes fit for the most magnificent North Pole Christmas dinner. The cookier who delivers the most disappointing dish will be left on the chopping block, while the master cookie chef will gain an advantage for the next round. Then, it's time for dessert as the cookie makers tackle the sweetest new social media trend -- Christmas cookie pies! To make these cookie pies truly decadent and delicious, they'll incorporate chocolate chips. When the last lavishly decorated slice of pie is served, one cookie maker will walk away with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.